Taking place at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on Sunday at 8:30 p.m., the event will be infused with a cinematic Seventies Harlem twist, bringing Zendaya’s style sense to audiences onsite and worldwide. Runway looks will be immediately shoppable in more than 70 countries, via tommy.com, Tommy Hilfiger stores, select wholesale partners and social media.
Tommy Hilfiger and ZendayaWireImage
A new development this season is an online virtual reality commerce experience that eliminates the need for a headset. Building on the trend of elevating the shopping experience through VR technology, it is the first time that such a web-based VR experience is introduced at such scale. The VR functionality is available via desktop and mobile via tommy.com, and provides audiences worldwide with access to the TommyNow show at the Apollo. Users can visit a virtual pop-up merchandise shop, browse product on backstage dressing racks and shop styles worn by models. Shoppable tags on each product displayed link to product lay-down and a global redirect to shop the item in its own e-commerce environment.
On show day, 360-camera views placed at the location of the VR views at the Apollo Theater will broadcast live feeds into the experience. This will provide a real-time window into the show throughout the evening from angles including the red carpet, backstage and front row. The VR experience will launch on Sept. 8 at 8:30 p.m. EST, and 2:30 a.m. CEST on Sept. 9.
Further, a Tommy x Zendaya experience bus will be parked outside the Apollo on the day of the show. The collection will be exclusively available for purchase ahead of its global introduction that evening. The following week, the bus will travel to a New York City location for consumers to browse and shop runway styles. The interior and exterior of the bus feature burgundy tones, the TZH monogram logo and a snake-skin inspired print.
This season, Hilfiger is an official corporate sponsor of the Apollo, as well as Harlem-based performance training center Vy Higginsen’s Mama Foundation for the Arts. All sales proceeds of festival-inspired Tommy x Apollo x Zendaya T-shirts, designed exclusively for the event and sold at the TommyNow show, will be donated to the Apollo. The same style will be offered for sale on the Tommy x Zendaya experience bus, with all proceeds going to the Mama Foundation. Musical talent from the Mama Foundation will perform at the show.
Nichelle Gainer, cultural historian and author of “Vintage Black Glamour,” will choose content for the tunnel inside the Apollo that will immerse TommyNow guests through Harlem’s iconic music eras.
#TommyNow coverage will be accessible through the brand’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook social media channels and online at tommy.com.
Tommy’s Show at the Apollo Theater to Feature New Initiatives